Storage-battery separator.



No'. 704,759. Patented .luly l5, I902.

H. RODMAN.

STORAGE BATTERY SEPJABATOR.

(Application filed July 29, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l (No Model.)

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No. 704,759. Patented luly l5, I902.

H. RODMAN.

STORAGE BATTERY SEPABATDR.

(Application filed July 29, 1901.)

2 Sheefs8heet 2.

l prove the life, capacity,

25 ings,

3 perspective UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIUGII RODMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRICSTORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

STO RAG E-BATTERY S EPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,769, dated July 15,1902.

Application filed July 29. 1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH RODMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and 5 State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inStorage Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

Objects of the present invention are to imdurability, and efficiency ofelectric storage batteries; and to this end my invention stated ingeneral terms is based upon the application of diaphragms between theplates, and more specifically I 5 stated it consists in the combination,with the plates, of wooden diaphragms having upon both sides thereofwells for the electrolyte and for permitting of free circulation ingenerally vertical direction and on both sides of the diaphragm.

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following description,taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawforming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 isa sectional plan view showing two plates and a wood diaphragm havingupon opposite sides thereof wells, so that there can be free circulationon each side in a generally vertical direction. Fig. 2 is a top or planview illustrating a modification of the invention. Fig. 3 is aperspective View illustrating a diaphragm embodying features of theinvention. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a and a sectional viewillustrating another modification of the invention. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a still further modification, and Fig. 7 is a top orplan view illustrating the diaphragm of Fig. 6 in application 0 to theplates of a battery.

In the drawings,1 represents the acid-wells, which occur on each side ofthe diaphragm and between it and the adjacent plates 2 and 3. Thesewells are open in substantially vertical direction, although they may beslightly inclined, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5; but it is the intention toafford free circula- Serial No. 70,092. (No model.)

tion in a vertical direction, and the inclination, if any, is negligibleand is only resorted to in the case of Figs. 4 and 5 in order to avoidribbing the diaphragm parallel with the grain when such a course isthought to be desirable. The wells may be formed by the use of suitabledistance-pieces. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the distance-pieces 4 aresplit. As shown in Fig. 2, the distancepieces 5 are not split, but thediaphragm is placed on opposite sides of them alternately, and in theremaining figures the distancepieces are made integral with thediaphragms. In every case, however, there are on both sides of thediaphragms wells which are open substantially vertically. The diapbragmsthemselves must be of wood, as that material appears to possess uniqueand remarkable properties which adapt it to the purpose. The use of woodbetween battery-plates has been suggested, but wooden sheets arrangedwith acid-wells open substantially vertically to permit of freecirculation on both sides are productive of remarkable results inincreasing the efificiency, durability, and capacity of a secondarybattery. Wooden sheets without the wells are not productive ofparticularly beneficial results and have not gone into commercial use.As an example of the diaphr'agms, I may state that any kind of wood canbe used; but fibrous and porous wood, as bass, possesses someadvantages, and the'thickness of the diaphragms may be varied, but maybe one-eighth of an inch, more or less.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates that modifications may be made in details without departing fromthe spirit thereof. Hence I do not limit myself to the preciseconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinabove set forth, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings; but,

Having thus described the nature and objects of the invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In asecondary or storage battery the com-

